Method and means for conditioning the air in an enclosure



J 27, 1939- A. J. LOEPSINGER I 2,163,692

METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONDITIONING THE AIR IN AN ENCLOSURE Filed Sept. 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l o 8 a-a "q e I a n N June 27, 1939. A. J. LOEPSINGER METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONDITIONING THE AIR IN AN ENCLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed "Sept.

r MN wwzpczm NNDPKMNKEMF DZ( 9% Fag W 3L T w R M N *N K M MW W W 5 7 M L t lwa T E E B A Patented June 27,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs METHOD MEANS FOR CONDITIONING THE AIR IN AN ENCLOSURE Albert J. Loepsinger, Providence, It. 1., asslgnor to General Fire Extinguisher Company, Providence, R. I., a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1937, Serial No. 163,52!

5 Claims.

' the outside of an enclosure in such a manner as to take advantage of whatever help the outside wind may afford, and to so control the direction of the air movement within the enclosure that any influence of the outside wind will be favorable.

The best modes in which I have contemplated applying the principles oi my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings but these are merely illustrative and it is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in the appended claims whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation in section through an enclosure whose air is to be humidified and changed;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing a modified arrangement or the air changing means;

Figure 3 is another similar view showing another modification;

Figure 4 isan elevation of portions of the details of Figure l, in larger scale. with a diagrammatic showing of electrical circuits and devices which may be usedrand Figure 5 is a plan looking upward'as from line casionally enter or leave through doorways or the like being deemed immaterial.

Preferably inthe windows, or otherwlsein the boundaries, are controlled openings]. t. Each such opening may comprise abox-like casing i extending outward and having fixed slats or louvers la at its outer end toguard against the ingress 0! rain or the like. Within each such openingisaseriesotaditutsblelouVerstwhich can-all be set either wide open or closed tight by means of linkage 3 whose movements are controlled by some suitable actuating means such as electromagnets ill and iii. The energizing circuits for the electromagnets i0, Ill comprise wires II and I2 leading from master control means i3 which may, for example, be of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial Number 15,811, or may be other means of like nature'which are responsive to changes of relative himidity and/or to changes of room temperature. The master control means i3 is also connected by wires H and IS with another electromagnet it which controls a valve I! in the water supply line l8 to humidifiers i9.

The variousv electrical circuits are indicated in Figure 1 by the several cables, the details are shown in Figure 4. w

At the inner end of each controlledopening 5, 6 is a fan 20, 2|, by which air may be drawn into the enclosure from the outside or pushed out from the inside depending upon the direction of rotation of their respective motors 22, 23 which are of the reversible type. The circuits to each motor extend from the master control means l3 along wires 24 and 25 to reversing switches 26, 21, from whence other wires 23 and 29 continue to the motors. These reversing switches are preferably of the type which normally remain in an open position and are only held in circuit closing position when one or the other of their electromagnets (26a, 26b, 21a, 21! are energized. The reversing switches determine the direction of rotation of the motors and the fans and the closed positions of the reversing switches are determined by the direction of the wind blowing outside of the enclosure.

At some suitable location outside the enclosure is a device responsive to andactuated by the wind, especially with respect to its direction of movement. I have shown, for example, a simpie vane 30 in the form of an arrow rotatably mounted on a shaft 3i which extends within the ends or. a pair of wires are located in each end of the tube so that the mercury will bridge one pair of wires regardless of how the tube is tilted. The circuits controlled by the mercury embrace retarded relays and 36. g

In the illustrated position of the mercoid tube double-contact mercoid tube 34. That is, the

current from the major source will flow along wire 31 to electromagnet 26b, thence along wire 38 to switch 38a of relay 38, along wire 38 to electromagnet 21b and thence along wire back to the electrical source The circuit Just described is closed because the retarded relay 38 is energized.- The circuit of this relay comprises the wire 4i leading from wire 31, the mercury in the tube 34, wire 42, the winding of retard relay 3B, and wire 43 leading to wire 44. With the circuits thus established and the electromagnets 26b and 21b energized, the reversing switches 26, 21 will be so positioned that when current flows along wires 24 and 25 the motors 22 and fans 20 will be rotated to draw outside air into the enclosure through the openings 5, and motors 23 and fans 2i willbe rotated to force inside air out of the enclosure through opening 6.

Whether or not the motors and fans are actually rotated depends upon the master control means i3 and the air conditions within the enclosure. If the latter are favorable to a change of air, then the switches of the master control means between the current source and wires ll, I2 and '24, 25 will be closed. The current flow to electromagnets I0, ill will effect the opening of all louvers 8, and the current flow along wires 24, 25 will effect rotation of the fans as already described.

It is to be noted that as indicated in Figure a the wind is blowing from the north toward the openings 5 through which the outside air is being drawn in. Accordingly, the directionof the wind is entirely favorable to the action of the fans 20 on the north side of the enclosure. Likewise, as the wind continues past the building it will be moving toward the south on the side of the builidng where fans 2| are pushing out the air through openings 6, thus favoring the exhaust of inside airfrom the enclosure.

If the wind blows from the south, the position of the vane 80 will be reversed and the low side 32b of the cam disk will be engaged by the short arm 33a of the lever 33. This will cause the long arm to swing downward so that the mercury will move to the opposite end of the tube 34. Upon leaving the ends of wires 4| and 42 the circuit through the relay 38 is broken and this immediately releases switch 36a, thus breaking the circuit through electromagnets 28b, 21b. The reversing switches 26, 21 will at once shift to open positions, thus cutting off the current flow to the motors 22 and 23.

As the mercury moves to the right end of the tube 34, it bridges the ends of a wire 44 leading from wire 31, and a wire leading to retarded relay. 35. From the latter a wire 46 leads to wire 43 and thence to wire 40. Accordingly, the retarded relay 35 will become energized and in due course switch 35a will close to complete a circuit comprising wire 41 (leading from wire 31) electromagnet 26a, wire 48, switch 35a, wire 49,

electromagnet 21a, and wire leading thence to wire 40. Thus electromagnets 26a and 21a will be energized to change the position of reversing switches 28 and 21, so that upon current flow occurring along wires 24 and 25, the motors 22 will be rotated in direction to cause fans 20 to push air out of the enclosure and the motors 22 will be rotated in direction to cause fans 2| to draw air into the enclosure, thus again establishing the general direction of air movementthrough the enclosure more or'less parallel to the direction of i the wind.

The purpose of the retarded relays 35 and 38 is to prevent frequent starting and stopping of the motors which might occur if the wind is blowing substantially east or west or fluctuating at these points of the compass. It is obvious that with the vane 30 pointing either due east or due west, the short arm 33a of the mercoid lever 33 will be at the junction between the high and low sides of the cam. If the wind is fluctuating at either of these points the vane and mercoid will swing accordingly, moving the mercury back, and forth in the tube. If no retard or delay imposing devices were provided there would be frequent shifting of the reversing switches 26, 21 but with the retarded relays 35 and 36, or some such equivalent means, the positions of the reversing switches will not be altered until the wind has assumed a definite direction for a period of time exceeding .the predetermined delay provided by the retarding means.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, only one series of fans 20a and motors 22a are shown at one side of the enclosure and only one series of movable louvers 8a with linkage 9a and electromagnet llla at another side of the room. The direction of rotation of the fans is controlled as before described by means of a wind actuated device and reversible switches 26 and whether or not the fans are driven at all and the movable louvers opened depends upon the air condition within the enclosure and the effect on the master control means. This somewhat simplified arrangement of Figure 2 would be sufllciently effective where the enclosure is of not too great an extent.

Another modification is illustrated in Figure 3. Here the opening is controlled by a movable portion 2b of a window. This portion is suitably connected by linkage 9b toan electromagnet illb under the control of the master control means as already described. In this instance, the fan 20!) is shown at some little distance from the opening and illustrates another feature of my invention; When a fan so positioned is acting to draw outside air into the enclosure it will also set up an appreciable current of air along the inside of the window. thus causing some recirculation of the Without going into the details of the master control means l3 it should be stated that these means mavrespond to changes of relative humidity alone or to changes both of relative humidity and temperature. In other words, if the relative humidity is below a predetermined range the master controller will respond to that condition to start and maintain the humidifying means in action. When the relative humidity exceeds said predetermined range, the control means will respond to shut off the humidifying means. As regards the opening and closing of the movable louvers and the operation of the fans, the master controller may be of the type which responds upon the relative humidity rising to the lower limit of a predetermined range to start the fans and at the same time eflect the opening of the louvers. Or the master controller may be of the type which responds to a rise of a temperature above a predetermined degree to start the fans in operation and open the louvers. And in any event the master control means should stop the fans and close the louvers whenever the relative humidity falls ling the general direction 01' air movement within the enclosure so that the wind acts favorably to such inside movement 01' the air. Thus advantage is taken of whatever assistance the wind may ofl'er and in no event is the exchange of air between the inside and outside of the enclosure adversely influenced by the wind.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for changing the air of an enclosure which comprises openings in the boundaries or said enclosure; means adjacent said openings for moving air relatively between outside and inside of the enclosure; and means actuated by the wind outside said enclosure tor controlling said air moving means'to enect air movement within the enclosure away from the boundary thereof toward which the wind is generally blowing.

2. Apparatus for changing the air 01' an enclosure which comprisw openings in the boundaries of said enclosure; movable means for opening and closing said openings: means adjacent said openings for alternately moving air in opposite directions; means actuated in accordance with the direction of movement of the wind outside of said enclosure for determining the direction in which said air moving means eflect'movement oithe air within the enclosure.

3. Apparatus for changing the air relatively between the outside and the inside of an enclosure comprising an'opening in a boundary of the enclosure; means adjacent said opening for moving air in opposite directions; and means actuated by the wind outside the enclosure and in accordance with the direction oi. movement thereof for determining the direction in which said air moving means moves the air through said opening.

4. Apparatus for changing the air of an enclosure which comprises an opening in a boundary of the enclosure; means adjacent said opening for moving air in opposite directions; means actuated by the wind blowing outside of the kn? I closure for determining the direction in which said air moving means efl'ect movement of air; and means responsive to air conditions within the enclosure for effecting operation of said air moving means.

5. A method for cooling a humidified enclosure within which the relative humidity of the air is to be maintained within predetermined upper and lower limits and which has provision for exchange 01 air between the inside and the outside of the enclosure, which method comprises controlling the said exchange of air to maintain said relative humidity within said limits and determining the direction of movement of the air in accordance with the direction or the wind outside said enclosure. I t

. ALBERT J. LOEPSINGER. 

